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Artist
Tom Scholz
12+ albums
about
Donald Thomas "Tom" Scholz is the primary songwriter, musician and founding member of the Massachusetts-based rock band Boston. He is also a notable inventor, businessman, and social activist. Scholz was born on March 10, 1947 in Toledo, Ohio. As a teenager, he was quickly identified as a skilled 6-foot-5-inch-tall basketball player, but his roots as a classically trained pianist and interest in pop music led to future musical endeavors. In 1965, Scholz was awarded a full scholarship to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In addition to his previous experience with keyboards, at MIT, he taught himself how to play the guitar. He earned an SB degree in mechanical engineering in 1969. After obtaining a master's degree in 1970 [1], Scholz went on to work for the Polaroid Corporation as a product design engineer. During this time, Scholz wrote, played, and recorded most of the tracks for Boston's debut album in a makeshift studio built in the basement of his apartment. Much of the recording equipment used was either built or modified by Scholz himself. After teaming with vocalist Brad Delp, the album was completed and later released by Epic Records in 1976. The self-titled effort quickly became the largest-selling debut album of all time, and Boston was nominated for a Grammy award as "Best New Artist." Scholz has subsequently written, produced, and engineered all of Boston's albums. Often regarded as a musical and technical genius, Scholz formed a lucrative audio-electro